A/N: R12, Kairi is a mixture of desperation, talent, and naïvety right now- a jackpot combo for the Organization! (hehehe...) The Council of Foretellers will come in much later.
Guest, O.O Sora's gonna have a hard time for a while. I mean, doesn't every writer enjoy torturing their characters a little? (no? okay T.T) but Sora just makes it so darn easy! Unlike last year, where the bad guys were people Sora hated (except for Riku, maybe) this year the bad guys are people he forms close bonds to. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just leave it at that... Just think of Sora like a phoenix... things have gotta get a lil' toasty for him to rise from the ashes! Oof, there's so much crazy stuff coming... I hope it'll have you all gasping!
PS, get ready for AU mumbo jumbo this chapter. The nature of the heartless is very different in this story than in game.
~X~
Chapter Thirty Six
~X~
"Sora Nomura, I want you to tell me exactly what happened the night you jumped into the waterhole under the summit."
Sora blinked at Reno with innocence.
"What?" he asked. Reno chuckled as he swung back and forth in his office chair.
"As far as Axel told me, you were fishing for a goldfish and caught a bull shark."
"I wasn't fishing."
"I know, Sora," Reno sighed. "Attempt at a joke, ignore it. He said you were looking for something important."
"Do you know what that thing was?" peeped Sora. Reno reeled in confusion.
"No," he said, "that's why I'm asking you."
"I mean the big grey thing with the boneless... arms," Sora blubbered, gesticulating by flailing his hands. Reno stared him down in amusement. Then he said that it was a Twilight Thorn.
"Uh... a who ha?" Sora blurted. "It didn't look like a flower to me..."
"Nah, nah, Sora, it's not a plant," Reno responded. "It's a Nobody."
"Well, I'd say it was a pretty big somebody for being a nobody," Sora snorted in remembrance. Reno rolled his eyes and groaned.
"Alright, Sora, let me do you a favor. Let's think back to your vision quest, okay? What were those pesky little creatures you kept having to fight to save the universe?"
"Uh... space chiggers?" Sora deadpanned.
"Gonna say a hard no to that," Reno chirped in reply. "Let's try that other pesky creature that came in every shape and size, black shiny body, yellow eyes..."
"Spiders," Sora beamed.
"Heartless, Sora," Reno said flatly. Sora clapped his hand to his forehead and gasped.
"Oh yeah!" he sighed. Then his face dulled in oblivion. "What about 'em?"
"Okay, so bear with me," Reno started, holding up a stray piece of paper and pointing to it. "This piece of paper is a person, human being, homo sapiens, got it?"
"Yep," Sora nodded.
"And my hand is the power of darkness," he added, wiggling his fingertips at Sora's nose to make him laugh. Then he ripped the piece of paper in half. Sora narrowed his eyes as he tried following. Reno held up one half of the paper, scribbling pencil over it.
"Heartless," he said. Then he held up the plain half of paper. "Nobody," he said.
"And what's the pencil?" Sora asked.
"What?"
"Paper is human, hand is darkness-"
"Power of darkness-"
"-Power of darkness, half sheet is heartless, plain half is nobody, pencil is...?"
"Well," Reno faltered, wetting his lips before landing on, "the pencil is the mark of darkness-"
"But I thought the pencil lead was the mark of darkness-"
"Then it's the marker of darkness-"
"But I thought your hand was the-"
"You know what, Sora?" Reno stuttered, "forget the pencil, the pencil is Houdini's magic hands, you can't... It was just a pencil!" he cried, holding up the paper and gesticulating in one swift journey, "homo sapiens, power of darkness, tear in half, heartless, nobody, got it?"
"Uh huh..." Sora said slowly. Reno scowled and rolled his eyes.
"In the dream universe Naminé called Kingdom Hearts, which ties together your vision quest with the vision quests of Ventus, Kairi, Riku, etc, when darkness takes over a person's heart, the person gets split in two. Their heart becomes a Heartless, and if they're strong enough, their body and soul become a Nobody."
"O-oh," Sora whispered. "But I don't remember any nobodies being in my vision quest."
"That's cause they weren't," Reno chirped. "But they were in someone else's."
Sora blinked at Reno in befuddlement. Reno seemed giddy with goading. Sora sighed that he did not understand. Reno chuckled. Puckered his lips. Gaped them out. Brought his teeth together. Separated them. Brought them together again. Then he winked. Sora huffed in consternation, repeating the motions. When he realized he was mouthing a name, he gasped.
"Roxas?" he whispered. Reno nodded.
"Now, Sora," he started. "Imagine our administration's surprise when a creature Roxas dreamed up in his vacay-en-pod rips out of a dark boil at the bottom of a river and attacks you in real life. You following me?"
"No," Sora announced. Reno rubbed his temple with his thumb and forefinger.
"Sora, they're called Nobodies because they were never supposed to exist," he explained. "We made them up. Literally- it's like if you drew a doll on a piece of paper and it was sitting on your dresser the next morning, wouldn't that freak you out?"
"So the dark boil led to a dream world?" Sora tried. But Reno shook his head.
"No, Sora," he whispered. "That dark boil lead to a pod world. Roxas' pod world."
"But- Roxas isn't in a pod," Sora said. Reno shrugged, murmuring that Roxas wasn't around for them to know.
"But all the pods are here, at the Academy," Sora insisted. "They're in the basement, right?"
"We're counting right now," Reno said. "But between you and me? I wouldn't be surprised if a few come up missing."
"So... someone stole a pod and trapped Roxas inside it?" Sora gasped. Reno snapped his fingers with glee.
"Bingo, Sora!" he cried. "Think about it. Roxas leaves on a mission, everyone and their mother disappears, then Soddy leaves, Naminé leaves, and DiZ leaves."
"And Naminé is a certified memory pod technician!" Sora gasped. "But why would Naminé and DiZ keep Roxas in a pod? They were professors here, right? Don't they like Roxas? What's he got that they want?"
Reno cocked his head and bit his lip. Then he sighed and murmured, "Sora. Think about it. Roxas is the son of the man who arrested Naminé's boyfriend and sentenced him to death, the man connected to two of the most powerful research and development corporations in the universe. Soddy knows where Riku is, and DiZ's a freaking genius weirdo. Who's to say Naminé didn't get desperate and shack up with them to go against the Organization?"
"But why are Soddy and DiZ going against the Organization?" Sora asked. "And what does Roxas have to do with any of that?"
"Sora!" Reno groaned. "Roxas is a student. Xemnas is his headmaster. Eraqus was his dad. It's all the machinations of fate. And as to why those two bozos would use memory pods to go against the most powerful organization in the world? Think of it this way: If a glass egg can make monsters real and teleport people like Riku across galaxies, think of what people like DiZ could do with them- what people like Soddy could do with them."
Sora worked through everything in his head, eyes widening when he remembered the way Maleficent had mass produced heartless in his dream quest. Imagining creatures like that being real, tangible, and under the beck and call of Soddy, was terrifying.
"Do you..." Sora gulped. "Do you think they'd hurt Roxas?"
Reno blinked and shrugged. "I don't know, Sora," he murmured. "I'd have to know every detail about the night you jumped into that waterhole."
Sora bit his lip in hesitation. Then, nodding, he began.
"After the plan of action meeting on Tuesday," he coughed, "I was wondering about Kairi's story about finding Naminé's good luck charm in the Besaid Sea. I- I dropped it a couple weeks before-"
"How did you drop it, Sora?" Reno asked. "When did you get her charm in the first place? Kairi said it belonged to the replica."
"Naminé sent me a letter a week or two after she disappeared," Sora swallowed in ill ease. "She attached the charm and told me to look after it. I kept it in my pocket all the time. Then, one day when I was walking past the waterfall with Soddy, I took my clothes off and jumped in. I stayed under too long, so Soddy jumped in after me and pulled me out. Then, he held my clothes and walked me to the old temple so I could dry off."
"Wait, wait, wait... you walked naked, with Soddy, all the way from the waterhole to the temple?" Reno confirmed. Sora blushed but nodded. Reno indicated for him to continue.
"When my clothes dried off I put them back on and Soddy got me ice cream in town. When we went back to the school I realized the charm was missing. I thought maybe it fell out of my pocket as I was jumping into the river. If I can't find it, it means Soddy found it and sent it through a portal of darkness to Kairi as a trap or something. She seems to think he gave it to Riku to give to her, even though Riku would never shack up with an asshole like that, and he'd ten times out of ten contact me before Kairi, after all our years of friendship-"
"Whoa, hold up, Sora," Reno paused with scrunched brows. "So you're telling me you received a letter and a piece of evidence from a fugitive, kept it for a couple weeks, lost said piece of evidence, and still never told your superiors where it came from in the first place?"
Sora stared at Reno expressionlessly, before shrugging and gulping. Reno sucked in a deep breath and pushed it through gritted teeth, shaking his head and muttering gibberish to himself. "I don't like it, Sora," he sighed. "I really don't like it."
"Like what?" Sora breathed.
"The way this makes you look. Honestly? It makes you look like you're in cahoots with the people who may have kidnapped Roxas."
"No," Sora gasped, leaning forward in horror.
"It makes you look like you're not fit to search for Soddy. Frankly, it doesn't even make you look fit to leave this world."
"No!" Sora begged, tears welling in his eyes again. "I- I can go! I swear! I was just keeping it because I didn't think it was important, I didn't know she was a fugitive yet, I just-"
"When did you realize she was a fugitive, Sora?"
"When I got the list-"
"That was the first day back! You've had weeks-"
"I know, but it was private!" Sora shouted. "I liked her a lot, and it meant a lot to me that she'd give me something that precious for safekeeping. I know I lost it-"
"But if Soddy did pick it up and give it back to her, and now it's somehow in Kairi's hands, that means Goldilocks turned right around and gave it to someone else-"
"But Soddy could have tricked her-"
"Sora, Soddy and DiZ could be torturing Roxas for information as we speak," Reno snapped. "If that letter or charm had fingerprints or marks tying it to a specific world, we would have caught them by now. As it stands, the Besaid Sea has probably wiped every bit of foreign fiber clean away."
"I still have the letter," Sora gulped. Reno closed his eyes and sighed, nodding and murmuring that Sora needed to turn it in immediately. For a moment Sora stared towards his bent form in terror. When he reached out his hand, Reno relinquished his. Then he blew out through his lips.
"And I can't believe you let the guy walk you around a secluded jungle naked, Sora, Minerva," he whispered. "You know what some of the teachers are like around here?"
"Axel left me lying in the road naked," Sora hissed. "Demyx offered to teach me an instrument as payment for him keeping my fight with the Twilight Thorn quiet to Xemnas."
"Well, fuck, Sora!" Reno barked. "If you'd told me immediately I could have gotten you out of trouble, and we could have made official reports against Axel and Demyx! As it stands now, if you want to find anyone outside this world's border, you can't do a damn thing but follow my every command!"
"Sure," Sora nodded with vigor. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll do whatever anyone wants, I- I'd even almost die! You can have whatever you want from me, Reno," he begged, reaching forward and grabbing either side of Reno's face. The redhead reeled back in shock, chuckling and pushing Sora's hands down, holding them both in his own, near his chest. Then, biting his lip, he let the brunet go and rummaged around the his desk side drawer. He pulled out an envelope marked "Sora Nomura: Group D," and let it fall before him.
"Group D?" Sora muttered to himself as he snatched it up, struggling to remember if he had been given group D at the beginning of the year. As far as he remembered, Soddy was part of group E. Sure enough, when he tore through the top of the envelope and unfolded the packet lying inside, the heading read, GROUP D: AQUA HOLLAND, TERRA DOHRING, VENTUS ERAQUS, KING MICKEY I.
Sora's heart beat hard with the hope that something had been typed wrong. Right after his botched meeting on Tuesday, he had met with Xemnas, written a formal apology to the faculty and his fellow students, agreed to increased counseling sessions with Reno, gotten hundred percents on his last few pop quizzes in every class including his gummi ship license, and drafted an entirely rewritten plan of action with the help of Reno, Aerith, Yuffie, Leon, Hercules, and a host of other people. As far as he was concerned, he had performed impeccably. Soddy was his for the taking. When he read further down the packet's second page, he noticed a chart with team assignments, contact information, supervising teachers, home worlds, and partners. When he reached his own assignment, Sora Nomura and Yoshiya Kiryu: Mickey Mouse I, overseen by Xemnas Nimoy I, he set the paper in his lap, closed his eyes, and set his face in his palm. He breathed in a deep breath. Then he began crying in silence, his shoulders shaking as he wept. Reno pursed his lips as he watched him, reaching out to rub his shoulder the same way he always did. Before Sora knew it, he was leaning against the front of Reno's desk with the red head at his side rubbing his back in circles and ruffling up his hair with his free hand. When Sora crawled into his lap and embraced him, Reno wrapped him up and settled his chin overtop his head, stroking his shaking arms with a sigh.
"I know, buddy," he whispered. "I know it's hard."
"I- I- I failed h-him," Sora stuttered through sobs. "I- I f-f-failed e-everyone." After gulping, he let out a badly held mewl, choking and sniveling with each breath as snot and salt water pooled along his upper lip. When Reno reached for a handkerchief and rubbed it over Sora's face, the brunet winced and snuggled closer, trying to quiet himself down.
"I know this is hard for you, Sora," Reno whispered. "I know you and I have talked about sticking Soddy for a long time. But I think, in light of the information you've just given me about your relationship with him... I think it's better this way. I think it's better you let someone else deal with him. You got too close. He almost got you. And I don't want that to happen again."
"But that means I- I'm just w-weak," Sora sobbed. "I- I'm even weaker than Kairi, I- I'm just like a little girl."
"Sora, you gotta get out of your head that Kairi is weaker than you," Reno warned. "I know misogyny and homophobia were dishes du jour on Destiny Islands, but you've got to leave that part of yourself behind. It's clouding your judgement. It's stunting your relationships, making you think you can sort out everything on your own, and it's also making you think the ladies in your life are all innocent angels."
"W-what?" Sora hiccuped against Reno's shirt.
"What if Kairi is a hero in the making, huh?" Reno asked. "What if Aqua was a bad guy in training? Hell, what if Naminé's a bad guy? Remember what she did to you during the summer? Well, she's probably doing the same thing with Roxas right now, and you fell for her good luck charm spiel because she's pretty and pale and sweet."
"But- but she's-"
"Sora, I'm not saying she's bad," Reno insisted. "I'm just telling you to think things through. For your friends' sake and for your own. Organization Thirteen and Shinra are not companies you want to get on the wrong side of- and you are getting there, Sora. I want you to be surveilled just as much as you do- meaning not-at-all. I don't want you ending up tortured in a pod because of a crush or a martyr complex."
"O-okay," Sora sniffed, hugging Reno tighter and hoping he was right. When he tried taking a deep breath, it came out as another sob.
"I've just been losing so much," he wept. "I don't want to lose anymore."
"Then don't lose me," Reno cooed. "And for god's sake don't lose Kairi. Now, there's a hero if I ever saw one: honest, straightforward, hardworking- and most importantly? Willing to work with the people who matter."
Sora sniffled and rubbed his cheek against Reno's button down, garnering another pet to the head that made him roll his eyes shut and bite back the migraine creeping from behind his ears to the bottom of his jaw.
"Sora," the man above whispered. "You have got to treat me like a compadre. I tell you everything I know, yet you hide things from me. You cannot take on Soddy or any of these fugitives all by yourself. You've got to learn to work in a team."
"What if the team's full of people you don't like?" growled Sora. Reno snorted and chuckled that that was the beauty of the professional world. "And because I'm your compadre," he added, "I'll do you one better."
"What are you going to do?" Sora whispered into Reno's downturned chin. Reno grinned and patted Sora's shoulder.
"I'm going to enlist Axel in a little bro on bro scheming to get you out of trouble with Xemnas."
"Really?" Sora cried with joy. Reno beamed and winked. "Sure am. You just give me that charm and letter ASAP. Heck, I'll even add Demyx into the mix for good measure. Force him to keep your summit dive on the down low in my own special way."
"Oh, Reno!" Sora wailed. Then he popped up and grinned. "What do you want in return? Just say anything."
Reno looked at Sora with an intriguing longing, continuing to stroke up and down his back in rhythmic circles. Then he groaned and pushed the boy away, saying that all he wanted was his honesty.
"And maybe you can keep pestering Axel," he added. "You really frazzled him Tuesday night."
"He knew I was wheedling information out of him," Sora responded. "He said if I did it again he'd make me sorry."
"He will not," Reno snapped in return. "Not if Shinra has anything to say about it." Then he softened. "Maybe you were a little too forward," he cooed. "Axel's a slippery creature. Remember what I said a couple weeks ago about him being a muggy cave? He's a creepy crawly- slithers beneath the ground and slices you up when you least expect it. All you've got to do is strike him when the iron is hot."
"I don't know how to do that, Reno," Sora breathed in dejection. But Reno grinned and said that he'd help Sora along.
"For now, I need to write a report on our meeting," he concluded. "And if I were you, I'd write a long letter of apology to Xemnas for forgetting to turn in that evidence. Follow this prompt, and come back tomorrow so we can edit it together. The last thing we want is Xemnas stopping you from getting on your gummi ship come Monday morning."
"Gummi ship?" Sora squeaked with glee. "I get my own ship?"
"Don't get too excited, Sora," Reno warned. "Let's get your apologies sorted out first. Once you finish that, we can read through that packet of yours together."
Sora nodded and kissed Reno on the cheek without thinking. Then, gripping the report like a guiding light, he charged back to his empty dorm room and catapulted inside, locking the door behind him and giggling as he skimmed through his paperwork. When he had done reading, he tore around for Naminé's letter and charm and settled them carefully in a zip lock bag he had used for lunch a few days ago, emptying the crumbs on the floor before he settled the prized evidence in their place. Then, swiping up Roxas' iPod, he switched to one of his favorite Alicia Keys songs and opened the door again, ducking back to Reno's office with a skip in his step and determination in his eye.
~X~
Sora stood in front of the dorm bathroom mirrors with his heart beating so hard he could feel it swaying his chest. Once he steadied himself, closed his eyes, and looked again, he grinned.
He was wearing the outfit he had bought with his first paycheck as an Organization Thirteen intern last summer. Same moisture protection boxer briefs, same knee length chaps, same sneakers, double thigh packs, short sleeved hoodie, fingerless gloves, and the same silver charm necklace he had had since he was five. He had even gotten a touch up haircut so he would look his best. After one last look and salute to his reflection, he giggled and dashed back to his room, shaking as he checked his luggage. He decided he would purchase a backpack off world, maybe Twilight Town since Hayner, Olette, and Pence seemed to wear cool stuff. Other than that he had packed Joshua's purse, Roxas' iPod, his swimsuit, water bottle, parasol, toiletry bag, and a small collection of workout attire from Zell, the local running shop, Hercules, Leon, Terra, and even, though he would never admit it, Soddy. The binder holding every document concerning his mission, including his assignment and contact sheet, diary on the Organization, and a brochure of intraworld shopping, eating, and health destinations, lay with the digital tablet and pen he would use to send all his school assignments along with his updated Jiminy Journal to Xemnas, on top of it. He picked the electronic up with glee and opened the page holding his "interactive syllabus," where he could check off every supply he needed to bring with him on his journey. Once he had double checked everything, he scrambled up and confirmed the time on Argento's stopwatch, clasped around his wrist. He still had twenty minutes. As he glanced out the window, saying goodbye to the clouds, peaks, and sparkling ocean below, a knock sounded at his door. Accompanying it was an announcement of, "yoohoo, future love of your life, speaking!"
Joshua, Sora groaned to himself, trudging towards and opening the door. Joshua slinked in immediately, slipping his hands in the pockets of his baggy grey, bootcut jeans and dragging his white creepers around the carpet as he inspected it.
"I am so excited!" he bubbled to cut the silence, flashing a mischievous smile. "Seems like only yesterday you were turning up late to class because you didn't have a stopwatch."
"Yeah," Sora grumbled, failing to remind Joshua that he had offered to be Sora's stopwatch. "Are you almost ready?" he asked. Joshua shrugged and murmured, "more or less."
"Great!" Sora breathed, shoving his binder and tablet into his duffel bag, zipping it up, dropping Argento's watch in one of his thigh packs, and trundling towards the door. Joshua blew a breath through his lips in disinterest behind him, moving out first so that Sora could lock his dorm door behind him. Before he shut it for good, he checked to see if he had forgotten anything.
"Windows locked?" Joshua offered. Sora nodded.
"Clothes put away?"
Another nod.
"Preliminary report handed in? Dirty laundry taken down? Bed made? Jaws Junior packed?"
"What?" Sora snapped. Joshua cocked his head to the side in expectation.
"Come on, Sora," he said. "You can't forget Jaws Junior."
"I stopped using Jaws Junior ages ago!" Sora snapped with pride as he scrambled his things together. Joshua sighed and said that life got lonely in space.
"Of course, if you want to cuddle, I'll always be available," he winked. Sora wrinkled his nose, bit his lip, and took one last look into his dorm. Perhaps having Jaws Junior as a protection device would do him good. With a scowl he stomped over, tore the stuffed shark from his bed, and rammed it into the bottom of his duffel bag, until it was invisible beneath his socks and underwear. He slammed and locked the door in a huff, a bemused Joshua watching his every stride. Sora waited as Joshua hauled a rollaway out of his own room. Once everything was finished, Sora glanced at his watch again. "Twelve minutes," he gulped.
"Looks like it's about time," Joshua cooed. "Wouldn't want to be late on our first day."
Sora beamed and burst through the exit stairwell, not bothering to listen if Joshua was behind him. He was too excited to see what a real gummi ship looked like. The one he had practiced for his license in was just an interactive box of metal that floated under a whirlwind Xaldin created with his lances.
Soon the pair was waltzing into the great hall, where a buffet had been set up for breakfast. The now familiar lightning spheres with the angry red numbering floated around counting down the time. Eight minutes and two seconds. Sora grinned and set his duffel bag under his assigned seat, skipping over to the food and heaping a plastic plate with everything he could get his hands on. Joshua swept up half a plain bagel and picked at it like a bird. Sora wrinkled his nose aghast, stuffing a whole donut in his mouth. When he felt a tap on his shoulder, he spun around and choked in fright. After regaining control of his esophagus, he gasped for breath and gulped the rest of his donut down. Kairi stood before him in the combat ready version of her casual pink dress, replete with shoulder, elbow, and knee pads and peach pink half gloves the same shape as Sora's. She still wore her lavender converses with the laces tied around her ankles.
"Um..." she started hesitantly. Then, defeated, she dug in her pocket and pulled out her thalassa shell charm. When Sora saw it outstretched in her palm, he furrowed his brows in confusion. Kairi rolled her eyes. A hint of a blush speckled her cheeks.
"It's not just a good luck charm," she snapped. "It's a way finder. Aqua told me."
"Aqua?" Sora started in confusion.
"The idea came from Destiny Islands- good luck to travelers, yada yada. It's an unbreakable connection. Aqua welded hers. This one's crude, but... it's made the traditional way. I made it for you, and even though I really don't think you deserve it sometimes..." after a fierce scowl, her face melted into a smile. "I really want to see you again."
"But, Kairi," Sora snorted with furrowed brows, "you will see me again! Really soon."
Something dark passed behind Kairi's eyes. She bit her lip. Then she nodded her head and giggled. "You know me, I worry. I just... be careful out there, Sora. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus thought they were inseparable, too." With that, she nodded, dropped the charm into his palm, and slipped to her own seat. Sora stared after her for several moments in awe. As he glanced down at the charm, he giggled.
"And be sure to bring it back to me," a familiar voice piped up a few rows down. "Or I'll disappear you myself."
Sora grinned and nodded, resolving to clip it to the end of his key blade the first chance he got. When he saw Kairi sit down beside Neku and start chatting with him, he sighed. Several rows down, Nimo huddled beside Shiki, watching Kairi with interest as Shiki attempted making conversation. Sora narrowed his eyes and swiveled around before the silveret could catch him. The seats surrounding filled up. The spheres overhead counted to zero. Then, following the familiar, jarring buzzer, Xemnas stood from the center throne and raised his arms.
"Welcome," he crooned in his deep, resonant voice. "To your first off world assignment as students of the Land of Departure Training Academy."
Applause rose through the ranks. Sora clapped his hands, attempting to mask his excitement. Joshua observed him with pleasure.
"My head wants to take this time to review your syllabi with you, but my heart operates under the illusion that most of you have read it by now..." he said dryly. The rest of the Organization snickered behind him. Sora went beet red from his forehead to his fingertips as he clocked several stares, but he sat ramrod straight and thrust his gaze straight ahead.
"Are they talking about you, Sora?"
"No, Joshua-"
"I think they're looking at you-"
"Josh-"
"Listen carefully," Xemnas intoned, piercing straight through Sora's cheek with his amber gaze. "Several... developments have made themselves apparent since we last met to discuss plans of action."
"Encounters with dark boils and strange creatures unconnected to our natural world by professors and students have made us increasingly watchful. The mysterious, off world infiltration of Shinra's sister operation, Deepground, and the tragic deaths of several of its key members, whom you may remember as teachers from your first semester..."
No one seemed too torn up about the deaths of the Tsviets, so Xemnas continued, "have made us anxious. The disappearance of several of your fellow students has made us angry. Though seemingly unrelated, these strange occurrences have one thing in common. All of them were caused directly or indirectly by the fugitives on your retrieval lists."
Gasps or gulps rung through the audience. Sora furrowed his brows as he listened.
"We will be sending more in depth information concerning these developments through your interactive journals, along with pictures and descriptions of enemies you might face and what weapons are capable of defeating them. If your weapon is ineffective or unideal against these enemies you must report the enemies to your superiors and continue with your retrievals. Students whose weapons are effective in eradicating these new enemies will be given additional assignments and, shall we say, "pop quizzes" to vindicate their usefulness."
Son of a nutcracker, Sora thought to himself, slumping in his seat with the suspicion that his weapon would be the most effective against whatever new "enemies" the Organization had cooked up.
"As such, gaining 100% completion on all of your reports is crucial. Should you fail to retrieve, that 100% may prove the difference between your ride home, and your continued stay at this institution."
Sora slumped lower. 100% completion? Sora had never 100% completed anything until last week, and that had been one of the worst weeks of his life.
"We believe in each and every one of you," Xemnas cooed, gaining a round of nods from the rest of the Organization, "but a hero's task is to shine brighter than the rest. The cut system this semester will be cumulative. Regardless of how safe you think your position in this school is..." When Sora glanced up, Xemnas met his eye and grinned. "The weakest links will be severed."
Sora blinked in fright. Xemnas paused to look at everyone. Then he beamed, clapped his hands, and told everyone to report to their supervising professors. The sound of chattering and cheering erupted as the entirety of the junior class jumped up and moved to their assigned teachers. When Sora slipped his duffel bag over his shoulder, waved to Kairi, Yuffie, Aerith, and Neku, and got Joshua in his sights, he lumbered towards Xemnas. Once the towering man clocked him, he grinned.
"Ah," he cooed as he looked over the two of them. "What a charming pair."
"Thank you, sir!" Joshua chirped, hooking his arm around Sora's elbow. Sora remained silent. Before he knew it, Xemnas was leading them through the storm of students down to the forecourt. One by one, what looked like giant toys made of gelatinous building blocks hovered over the forecourt center. Ladders fell from within, and professors who had offered to fly the ships from the gummi hangar outside of town scrambled after and had the students check the oil, gas, engine, lasers, shields, and any other device that needed last minute inspection. When every other group had lifted off and disappeared into the sky, a final, pointy ended, red and yellow vessel puttered lazily from under the bridge towards the forecourt center, knocking off one of the spires guarding the entrance archway as it trundled along. Joshua and Sora winced as it swerved its way before them. When it screeched to a halt, a rope ladder flung down and Cid Haze wheezed his way to the mosaic tile beneath, wiping his forehead with a greasy hanky once he was all the way down. When he noticed Sora standing before him, he screamed and threw out his arms.
"Sora, my stylish boy!" he cackled. "What did I tell you about roping in the ladies too fast?"
"Well..." Sora tried not to giggle in satisfaction. After giving Cid a big hug, he helped him inspect the gummi ship. The break pads were thin, the cannons looked ancient, the cloaking device was dented, and the paint job was chipping. It was no Ferrari- but it would do the job. Joshua wrinkled his nose as he stepped towards it, glowering at Xemnas when Sora was not watching. Xemnas chuckled and shrugged. Joshua muttered that he would go first, lugging his rollaway up the rope ladder with grim determination.
"Should've packed light, huh?" Sora laughed, gaining another cackle and clap to the back from Cid. Before he could climb up as well, Xemnas caught his shoulder and turned him around. Sora tried not to glare. The man glanced down at him without expression.
"I am aware that you hid Naminé's letter and charm from me, Sora," he cooed. Sora blinked up in horror but kept his mouth shut.
"I would advise you not to cross me again-"
"Reno said-"
"I know what Reno said," Xemnas crooned. "You are lucky to have such a powerful professor vouching for you. But he is not the only one who knows that you are special." With this, Xemnas leaned down so that the shadows of his brows made his orange eyes glow an unearthly shade.
"The lives of many rest solely on your shoulders, key bearer," he cooed. "A mistake may quickly become another fateful goodbye."
"What kind of mistake?" Sora spat. Xemnas chuckled. Then he suggested, "just stay on the beaten track. Shortcuts often turn into traps. Maybe you'll find another Twilight Thorn. And this time, no one will be there to save you."
He patted Sora on the back. Then he told him to go. Sora scowled and stomped to the rope ladder, waving to Cid one more time. Then he ascended.
The first four feet of the gummi ship interior held the majority of its wiring, connective tissue, and at the back, the engines. The next four feet comprised of a musty, blue carpeted crawl space containing a sit down ("sit down" being a generous word for hunch-over) dining area, hot plate, sink, and dish rack, and on the other side of the ladder, the sleeping area: a plump single mattress with two pillows and rolled up sleeping bags. Behind the pillows was a small, circular window. When Sora thought of how Kairi and Neku would be sleeping side by side, a twinge of jealousy pinched him. He shook it off by climbing higher, until he met with Joshua's face at the cockpit entrance.
"I was wondering how soon it would take you to get up here!" Joshua giggled, inches from Sora's lips. Sora gave a breathy chuckle and wheedled past him, sighing in relief as he saw he finally had space to stand. He took a moment to stretch. Then he giggled and dived for the controls, reviewing everything as he moved from one button to the next. Joshua hovered over as he worked.
"Sora, you do know what you're doing, right?" he whispered. Sora nodded as he rubbed the glass covering a DO NOT PRESS button.
"Oh, I know," he breathed. "I know..."
"Then maybe we should lift off," Joshua intoned. "Cid is giving us the signal."
Sora snapped to attention. Down below, Cid waved two glow sticks behind his head. Sora nodded and pulled the ship from park to hyperdrive. Then, sticking out his tongue and scrunching his brows, he curved the ship towards Cid's head. As he did, something screeched and tumbled behind him. When he looked, he saw Joshua plastered against the glass at the cockpit's back. Sora gasped and buckled himself in. Then he waited for Joshua to crawl to his seat and do the same. As the boy massaged his cheek and shoulder, Sora curved the ship upwards. Then, on Cid's signal, he told Joshua to brace himself. Joshua clutched the sides of his seat and shut his eyes. With a cheer, Sora took his foot from the break to the accelerator. Before he knew it his head was slamming against the seat cushion. Fire billowed around them as the ship gained momentum. They tore through the clouds. The sky surrounding changed from periwinkle to navy. Then, with a final pop of atmosphere and screech from Joshua, they burst into space. For a moment they floated, Sora cheering in a hoarse, gleeful voice, Joshua moaning and clutching his stomach.
"Dear gods, Sora," he croaked. "Next time I drive."
"You can act as navigator," Sora sang. "Where to? How far away is Destiny Islands?"
"Sora," Joshua growled. "We're supposed to go to Twilight Town first. Remember what Xemnas said about staying on the beaten track?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sora sighed. "I just thought that maybe if we finished our mission early, we might be able to have a little fun."
"Swimming with dangerous exotic animals in the middle of nowhere is not my idea of 'fun,'" Joshua muttered, turning on and scrolling through his tablet with a sigh. "I've got my own special milestones I want to achieve, and none of them require disregarding directions."
Sora turned back to the galaxy surrounding and sighed in dejection. As he gazed from one star to the next, he tried figuring out which one was home. He decided on the tiny, twinkling one far far right. Then he kissed his fingers and pressed them towards it.
"See you soon, mom," he whispered. "Though you probably won't recognize me when I get home."
A cough rose behind him. Rolling his eyes, he slumped his hands back to the steering wheel as Joshua perked up in the seat beside.
"So I was thinking..." he purred.
"What?" Sora muttered.
"I get super cold at night, and space is super cold, and we've got one mattress, and our sleeping bags can be combined into one big sleeping bag..."
"You want to sleep together?" Sora finished for him. When Joshua giggled madly and kicked him in the back of the seat, he gritted his teeth in irritation.
"Sora!" the blond continued. "You don't beat around the bush, do you?"
"You know what I mean, Joshua," Sora snapped. "Besides, if one of us is driving the ship and the other isn't doing anything, they might as well sleep alone. We probably won't see each other at all."
"We will when we get to each world," Joshua cooed. "Unless I'm staying the night with a friend, I'll probably be sleeping on the ship."
"Staying the night with a friend?" Sora barked. "You have friends in each world?"
"I plan to," Joshua said out the corner of his mouth. Sora decided not to let him elaborate. Instead, he snuggled into his seat and switched the ship to autopilot, setting course for Twilight Town. As Joshua listened to music and did homework behind him, Sora scrolled through his Jiminy Journal. If he was going to gain 100% completion, he may as well look over the details now.
Heartless he read on one page. Born of the darkness within people's hearts. In the Kingdom Hearts dream quest universe Sora Nomura, Kairi Panettiere, Riku Miyano, Belle de Maurice, Princess Aurora of Enchanted Dominion, Ventus Eraqus, and Roxas Eraqus explored in memory pods during their second semester at the Land of Departure Training Academy, the heartless originated from the Land of Darkness or were created from a machine constructed by Ansem the Wise of Radiant Garden and his apprentices. In our current, natural universe the heartless have begun appearing in tandem with dark boils, most of which act as portals to foreign worlds, including pod worlds. An explanation for their occurrence in our natural universe is unavailable, but they began appearing after Riku Miyano's disappearance from his memory pod. Only rudimentary heartless, Shadows and Neo Shadows have been sighted thus far, but other species are believed to exist as well.
Beneath this explanation was a tab labeled, Assignment!
Sora groaned and clicked on it.
Classify all Heartless subspecies and discover their secrets!
Provided beneath was a Dichotomous Key for "Opponents of the Key blade," written by Dr. Vexen Kando. When Sora read the citation below, he froze.
Vol. 1, no. 1, [ ν ] - εγλ 0010, pp. 003- 200. Shinra Publications. Accessed March 5, [ ν ] - εγλ 0010.
Sora could only guess that Organization XIII used the same dating system as Shinra. But if that was so, if the new year was [ ν ] - εγλ 0010, and Vexen published his "Opponents of the Key blade" article during the same year, that meant he would have had to publish it after he was arrested. What kind of prison sentence was he serving if he was still allowed to practice science? Letting it go, Sora skimmed to the entry on Nobodies.
Nobodies he read. The body and soul left behind after a strong willed individual loses their heart to darkness. Roxas Eraqus encountered two species during his short dream quest through the Kingdom Hearts universe. One of these species, the Twilight Thorn, was spotted and fought by Sora Nomura in our current, natural universe, after it emerged from a dark boil leading to Roxas' pod world. This dark boil was located on the southwest corner of the Puñalada River Basin beneath the Ykera Waterfall in the Land of Departure.
Another Assignment! tab was labeled beneath.
Classify all Nobodies and discover their secrets!
Sora groaned and shut the tablet off, wondering what other dirty work the Organization would have him do for them. As he checked that the gummi ship was following its correct route, admiring all of its bells and whistles as he glanced, his mind drifted to what Yen Sid had told him at Eraqus' funeral.
Meet me on tracks of Twilight.
"Old coot," Sora muttered.
"Hm?" Joshua yawned luxuriously behind him. Before Sora could protest, the blond's curls tumbled over his shoulder as he set his chin against the nape of his neck.
"How's it going?" Joshua cooed.
"Just reading all my assignments," Sora muttered in slight discomfort. Joshua kissed him on the cheek and rubbed his shoulders.
"Don't worry," he said. "I'll help you out."
As his curls disappeared, Sora heard Joshua descend the rope ladder and plop onto the mattress below.
"Wanna hear all the professors I've had sex with?" piped an accompanying voice.
"Not right now," Sora sighed glumly. If the old Riku and Kairi had have been on this ship with him, he would have had a blast. The trio probably never would have made it to Twilight Town because they would have goofed off too much. As Sora thought about all the people who were missing and who were important to him, he glanced into the galaxy surrounding and shook his head.
"Guys," he whispered. "Where have you gone?"
The stars twinkled back against a sea of black, begging him to find out.
A/N: Follow, fav, and review! Tell me what you think, what worlds you're excited to see, how you're feeling about the AU mumbo jumbo memory pod stuff, and what you think about Roxas' current situation!